Parks plan includes funding ideas

Monday

GALESBURG — Galesburg’s completed parks and recreation master plan features multiple grants the city could apply for as potential ways to fund recommended projects.

Houseal Lavigne Associates, the firm the city contracted with to create the plan, included the list of grants and programs in the plan’s “implementation” section to provide the city with financial resources for creating many of the proposed projects. The Top 5 projects residents recommended when providing feedback for the plan included: a community/recreation center; a multisport complex; a mini-golf course; the realignment of Lake Storey’s bike path; and the connection of the city’s trail system to all its parks.

The city could apply for two grants on the list, the Illinois bicycle path program and the federal recreational trails program, for the No. 4 and No. 5 projects as recommended by residents. The state program has a maximum grant award of $200,000 and the federal program could provide up to 80 percent of funding on approved projects.

“There’s a lot of federal money to help people live healthier lifestyles,” said Devin Lavigne, principal and co-founder of Houseal Lavigne, during a Galesburg City Council work session Monday.

Other grants in the plan included the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Public Museum Capital Grant program, to which the National Railroad Hall of Fame could apply. The program would fund up to $750,000 to expand or create exhibits and renovate buildings or infrastructure. In the master plan, Houseal Lavigne recommended expanding Discovery Depot and working with the NRRHOF’s staff to actually open the national museum.

Lagivne noted that one grant in particular could help the city with its lack of sidewalks in some neighborhoods: the federal Safe Routes to Schools program, which aims to help municipalities bolster their infrastructure so children will be able to walk or bike to school. Lavigne called the program “almost a source of free money.”

“If you’re looking to put sidewalks in neighborhoods, this is the place to start,” he told the council.

Lavigne presented the grants and other details and recommendations in the plan to the council during the work session. Ald. Peter Schwartzman, Ward 5, asked Lavigne if he would recommend contracting with a grant writer to apply for the grants, given the city’s current staff is “maxed out” with work. Lavigne recommended that only as “a last resort,” and recommended finding grant writers at local nonprofits or passionate community members willing to volunteer to write the grants.

The lack of staff was one of the reasons the city contracted with Houseal Lavigne to create the master plan and research the grants, said Tony Oligney-Estill, director of parks and recreation for the city — but there was another reason as well.

“In this particular moment and time, I thought it was really good to have someone look at our community with fresh eyes and not be tied down with the history,” Oligney-Estill said. “Parks and recreation hasn’t changed for quite a number of years. To have somebody else look at it and not see it through this prism was important for this project and this go-round. ... I think it was a wise decision to hire a contractor and Houseal Lavigne has been fantastic to work with.”

Before Lavigne presented the master plan, City Manager Todd Thompson gave the council an initial rundown of facts and figures for the 2019 budget. Thompson expected the city to yield a 2.6 percent increase in revenues for the FY 2019 budget, or $721,550. He anticipated expenditures would increase by 2.4 percent, or $692,732.

The city manager noted that FY 2019 would “probably” be one of the first years the city has seen an increase in revenues over expenditures, but he expected the city would still be at a deficit of $521,182.

“(That’s) really related to the pension and healthcare numbers we anticipate for 2019,” Thompson said. “Hopefully we’re turning the corner on the budget and it’s not going to be as drastic.”

Thompson also announced the schedule for planning the FY 2019 budget. The presentation of the draft budget is expected to take place in September, with time left over for discussion in October and the finalization process in November before the budget’s anticipated adoption in December.